Fuel Sentinel-2B: Done

16 February 2017

As liftoff day draws closer, the Sentinel-2B 'to do' list is shrinking as tasks are ticked off, including the tricky process of fuelling the satellite. And, even despite having to do a few unexpected jobs, everything is on track for launch.

The Copernicus Sentinel-2B satellite will ride into space on a Vega rocket from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on 7 March at 01:49 GMT (02:49 CET; 22:49 local time on 6 March).

It will join its twin, Sentinel-2A, which has been in orbit since June 2015. With each providing 290 km-wide coverage, the time it takes to image the globe will be cut in half to five days.